With machine embroidery, making your own fashionista monogram is well within reach! In “Cyber-Savvy Monograms” on p. 64 in Sew Stylish: Gifts to Make, Richards Jarden, shows us how to design a logo, digitize the embroidery, and stitch it out. Here, he’s created an online tutorial that will expand on the article’s information and show you the digitizing process step-by-step.

You'll see that Richard planned a stitching sequence with no long jump stitches between one area of the design and the next. And each section of the design is completely embroidered before moving to the next section. Figuring out the best sequence is a little like working out a maze: challenging sometimes, but always fun.

1. The first element of any design is a lock stitch, which keeps the thread from unraveling as the machine stitches away from the starting point.

Start with the lock stitch.

2. A running stitch down the middle of the largest shape acts as underlay for the long part of the J. The cross shows the needle location at the end of each segment.

Create an underlay using a running stitch down the middle.

3. The center running-stitch is repeated in reverse to strengthen the underlay and return to the start point.

Stregthen the underlay by repeating the center running-stitch.

4. For the satin-stitch fill type used throughout this design, the software automatically adds an additional underlay and a running-stitch outline, from the top of the J all the way around the perimeter and back to the top of the J, followed by a light-density zigzag stitch from the top of the J to the end of the curl. The software then completes the satin-stitch fill, finishing at the top of the J. The red lines are orientation lines that set the stitch direction.

The software automatically adds an additional underlay and a running-stitch outline.

5. A center running-stitch underlay travels to the left, where the top of the J meets the curl of the H.

A center running-stitch underlay travels left.

6. The running-stitch underlay returns to the start point for this section of the design.

The running-stitch underlay returns to the start point for this section of the design.

7. The next section of the underlay travels to the far right of the top of the J.

The next section of the underlay travels to the far right of the top of the J.

8. The satin-stitch fill completes the top of the J, ending where it meets the H, and extending slightly into that section, to be overlapped later by the curl of the H.

The satin-stitch fill completes the top of the J.

9. The same sequence is used for the other letters. A lock stitch completes the design.